Hearts N' Parks wins national award - National Recreation and Park Association - Brief Article

Parks & Recreation, August, 2003

NRPA's Hearts N' Parks program has won an Award of Excellence in the 2003 Associations Advance America Awards program, a national competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives.

"Hearts N' Parks truly embodies the spirit of the Associations Advance America campaign," says Daniel Fullenkamp, chair of the awards committee. "It is an honor and an inspiration to showcase this activity as an example of the many contributions associations are making to advance American society."

"Hearts N' Parks is a national, community-based initiative supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health and NRPA. This innovative community-mobilization effort aims to reduce the growing trend of obesity and the risk of coronary heart disease in the U.S. by encouraging Americans of all ages to aim for a healthy weight, follow a heart-healthy eating plan and engage in regular physical activity. During the first of their three-year commitment to the program, the 50 Hearts N' Parks magnet centers produced statistically significant improvements in heart-healthy eating knowledge and physical activity.

The success of Hearts N' Parks has recently been noted in such media outlets as Yahoo. com's news service. For more information on Hearts N' Parks, write to programs@ nrpa.org.